


Warmth

by Raxtilt



Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Snow and Ice, just cute adorable nonsense really, zelame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 05:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3516539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raxtilt/pseuds/Raxtilt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amelia and Zel are out in the snow when there's an accident. Now they need to keep each other warm. Mostly limited to Amelia's 3rd person perspective.<br/>(Tiiiny implied nsfw mention but nothing happens. It's just cuddling and cute fluff)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warmth

Amelia and Zelgadis had dealt with snow before. It wasn't a huge issue, but they weren't fools, either. They arranged for a cabin in the mountains while they followed a lead on an artifact that might hold the key to Zelgadis' cure. The terrain was all steep slopes and partially-frozen rivers, and occasional harsh winds would make it impossible to fly at times. They had to watch their step, and with the sky a constant hopeless mass of grey, even Zelgadis' expert navigating could only take them in a relative straight line without getting lost. Worse was that they weren't entirely sure anymore which direction from the cabin would take them where they wanted to go.

  
Because of this, once a day, they would set out in a specific direction, Zelgadis being careful not to get them lost, and once they were sure they weren't headed the right way, they would head back and warm up inside, waiting for the following day. It was tedious work, but that couldn't be helped. From what they could find out, the area was like this all year-round, and even if it wasn't, there was little chance Zelgadis would wait around for months to go searching for his cure here. So, into the snow they went each day.

  
They were feeling confident this time out, and though there were very few landmarks to find, what they did see was looking right for once. It seemed they finally had their bearings on where they were, so they would Ray Wing their way to their destination. At least, that was the plan.

  
Freezing winds soon kicked up, stinging their faces as they flew. It would be impossible to make decent time like this, but it was also difficult to communicate with the wind whipping away their words. The cold didn't get to Zelgadis quite as quickly, and it would be a while still before he might realize Amelia needed to land if she didn't want a frostbitten face. She decided the best course of action was to go ahead and get her feet on the ground. He would quickly see her and follow suit, she was sure.

  
It was a solid plan, and when she glanced up, she could see him following her down, but as her feet touched the snow, she heard a crack.

  
She froze- no pun intended- and looked around. The area all around her was smooth and flat, and though it was covered in snow, she realized it should have been obvious enough if she'd been watching. She was standing in the middle of a frozen lake.

  
Another crack. She flinched at the sound, not daring to move, trying to take a slow breath, to not disturb the fragile ice under her. She could cast another Ray Wing, but even that much might send her under the water before she could get into the air. She'd heard terrible stories about people who drowned beneath the ice...

  
Zelgadis must have already realized there was a lake down here, and it occurred to Amelia that he may even have tried to warn her, his words carried away by the violent winds. He floated just above her, a hand outstretched for her. "Amelia." he said, he voice calm and level as always, perhaps in an effort to keep her calm, or just by his own nature. "Take my hand."

  
Whatever the case, she felt rather relieved at his calm words, and she reached up for his hand.

  
But with a final, loud crraaack, the ice gave out under her. Fingers brushed for a fleeting moment, but then everything was ice and cold, and Amelia felt as if that cold feeling gripped her every muscle, and she couldn't move. She resisted the almost overpowering urge to gasp in shock, and something gripped her wrist, tugging her from the water, stiff and heavy and trembling. She'd been under for only a short moment of time, but her breathing came in difficult gasps as if she hadn't tasted air for an hour.

  
She was pulled into a familiar strong grip, and there were panicked words being spoken, but she couldn't quite grasp what was being said yet, still taking in gasps of cold air that stung her throat. There was some shuffling and shifting about, and her cloak, fluffy and padded to keep out the cold, but now dripping wet, was pulled from around her shoulders, quickly replaced with a warm and dry one. Her clothes were still soaked through, but this much helped at least a bit. Slowly, Amelia was starting to be able to take normal breaths. How had he suddenly dried her cloak, though?

  
"The wind will be cold," said Zelgadis, "But at least we won't be flying against it anymore. I'm going to get you back inside as fast as I can." Of course, the wind had been at their faces on the way out, but if it continued the same way, it would be rushing them back to safety. To warmth.

  
Amelia started to say something, looking up at him, but that was when she noticed he no longer had his cloak on him. She looked down to see her own cloak, dark with all the water its fluff had quickly absorbed, laying on the ice next to the hole where she'd fallen in. So then, this was his cloak she was wearing.

  
At the realization, Amelia wanted to protest, to yell at her friend for doing something so stupid. He might be partially rock, but that didn't mean this weather couldn't do him some serious harm! But it was no use right now. He wouldn't take the cloak back, and she couldn't stand the thought of putting that soaked one back on. Besides, going back for it would only slow them down now. Her deep, chilling breaths had her throat aching from the cold, and she didn't want to talk. She buried her face in his shoulder, her fingers going numb and her boots still filled with water that had already soaked through her thick socks.

  
Even Zelgadis was shivering badly, of course, by the time they made it back, but he set her by the fireplace and began to get the fire going as quickly as he could. The cold had quickly eaten away at Amelia's energy, and she couldn't feel her hands or feet at all, but she quickly pulled off her boots and gloves as soon as they were inside. She wanted to just lie down there and curl up, but when she tried, Zelgadis tugged her to sit back up.

  
"You need to change out of those clothes." he told her, but his hands were still shaking when he pulled her up, and she was exhausted and didn't want to move. She grunted a bit and leaned over to rest against him. "H-hey." he protested, tugging her away to sit normally again. "Amelia, come on. Stay awake long enough to change, or you're going to get sick."

  
She wasn't sure she cared. She shook her head, still shivering, and leaned over toward him again. He didn't pull her away this time, and she spared the energy to look up at his face, which was red as he held it in one hand. "Please don't do this to me." he seemed to pout. She didn't understand what the blush was about, but she still didn't think she had the energy to care. She closed her eyes, just wanting to sleep, but he tugged her away once more. "If you get sick," he said, "You can't come with me tomorrow. You'll have to stay here on your own."

  
Amelia blinked a bit and looked up at him as if waiting for him to take that back, but he didn't. Being alone was bad enough, but being alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere while she was sick and miserable and knowing Zelgadis was out in that weather and quite possibly headed straight for whatever danger was guarding the artifact they were after... She gave a little grumble but sat up on her own this time. "Okay." she answered tiredly.

  
He seemed incredibly relieved at that, and he got up, hurrying to grab her PJs and get back over to the fire to stay warm. He also grabbed something for himself to change into, as well. He handed off her clothes, but she glanced at them and then at the fire tiredly, not wanting to move away. Though the warmth of the fire was quickly spreading through the cabin, everything still felt cold compared to this one cozy spot.

  
The cabin itself was only one room and a bathroom, though it was fairly large and had a slightly separated little kitchen area. The two hadn't planned on this, but they'd made do until now, careful to turn away from each other as they changed and be sure they were both decent before turning back around. It was slightly awkward at first, but they were getting used to it. Still, they'd always been on opposite ends of the cabin, and right now, neither of them wanted to move from this spot.

  
Zelgadis cleared his throat and turned his back to her, still sitting there by the fire. She took the hint, though she could feel herself blushing a little. The feeling wasn't entirely unwelcome, as it did seem to warm her up a bit more. Sitting back to back, they both changed rather sluggishly, cold and tired with numb fingers. Amelia's elbow bumped his as she pulled off her shirt, and she mumbled a quiet, "Ah, I'm sorry..."

  
He answered with, "S-sorry..." when one of his shoulders hit her back as he pulled on some warm pants.

  
"Are you dressed?" he asked shyly as she finished wrestling her PJ pants on where she sat.

  
It was quite tiring, especially as exhausted as she was, so she answered with a quiet little "Yeah..." and rested her head on her knees as she sat there. Once Zelgadis finished hanging their wet clothes over the mantelpiece and settled comfortably next to her, she scooted over a bit and leaned against him again.

  
He sighed. "Now don't start this again." but there was no reason for him to have to move her away this time, so she didn't let him, instead shaking her head stubbornly.

  
"You're warm." she protested.

  
Though he'd managed to calm his shivering, her fingers had only just barely gone from numb to stinging by now, and the shaking wouldn't stop yet, so instead of pushing her away, he pulled her gently into his arms to keep her warm. His mattress, which sat on the floor nearby, was just barely within reach, so he leaned over a bit and snatched the blanket off of it, wrapping it around the two of them.

  
Amelia was now just cold enough to be unable to sleep and no longer enough that she could pass out regardless, so she quietly mumbled, "Please don't leave me here tomorrow."

  
"I wouldn't have." he answered honestly.

  
She looked up at him in confusion. Had he lied to her? That was rare, though certainly warranted this time, but before she could ask, he continued.  
"I'm not going to let you get sick out here. It would be bad, this far from a town."

  
Now she was confused again. It was enough to say that, but after falling in a freezing lake... "If I was too tired to change, there wasn't much you could do." she answered.

  
His voice, when he answered, sounded tight for some reason. "W-well, that's... Not entirely true." he corrected, and she watched his face turn a deeper red, until she finally realized his meaning and averted her eyes, feeling herself blushing as well.

  
"I-I don't mean I would- I mean, I-I couldn't just leave you like that, but I, wouldn't look, I mean, more than I had to, t-to get you into warm clothes! That's all!"

  
"O-of course!" Amelia replied, taking an interest in the fire to give herself something to look at. She didn't doubt his words. He was a gentleman when it came to this kind of thing and rather shy, besides. He wouldn't do something like that with the intention of peeking at her.

  
Honestly, though she would never- not in all of eternity- say it out loud, she couldn't help but think the scenario just a bit romantic, especially here, alone in a little cabin, by the fire. Oh, noo, she shouldn't think like that!! She held her cheeks, and the warmth of them felt as nice to her hands as her cold hands felt on her burning cheeks. Zelgadis, however, was obviously not as enchanted with the idea and asked in exasperation, "What is going through your mind?" he clearly didn't really want to know, but he was at least a little amused with her antics and relieved, too, that she seemed to be alright now. "Can you be more careful from now on? You scared me back there."

  
"I'm sorry..." she answered, closing her eyes again as she finally seemed warm enough to fall asleep.

  
"Come here..." he said, pulling her closer as he moved to lay down there by the fire with her still in his arms. He was a bit hesitant to do as much. He was pushing boundaries as it was, and she was a princess to top it all off. If anyone found out about something like this, he could be in a hell of a lot of trouble. But, no one was around but the two of them, and she was still so cold, and, well, so was he, really. And damn it all, he just wanted to hold her right now. "I'll make sure you stay warm." he assured her quietly.

  
So, Amelia laid there in Zelgadis' arms, and he held her close as they fell asleep, and for just the smallest moment, in that space between waking and sleep, they both thought that maybe, just for this one time, the whole thing had been rather worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> So as soon as I had this idea, I just had to write it down. It's certainly not my best, but I haven't actually written anything in a long time, and getting through to Zel's character is also really hard for me. I hope you enjoy it at least a bit, though. As always critiques are welcome, but once again, I recognize this isn't great.


End file.
